Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1887-05-30

furnishes illustrious names with whicl
to brighten the pages of history
Among the long roll of our honore,
dead stand forth the names of Lin
coin, our martyred President, Ora ut
Thomas, Hancock, Sumner, Mcpherson
Mcclellan, Garfield, Logan, and Ions
roll OF other names distinguished il
war and equally distinguished as quie
and estimaole citizens in peace. A.
statesmen, as warriors they will ranl
with the highest types of humanity
During their lifetime many of the m
provoked adverse criticism. Now
that time has softened the asperitie.
OF the past, let everything be forgot.
ten but the recollection Of their dis.
tinguished services. Not only to oul
leaders need we turn for illustrious
examples of patriotism, but to the
rank and file. in great measure, be.
longs the highest need of praise
The unknown, the unnamed and 81.
lent heroes who laid down their lives
at Shiloh, Vicksburg, Gettysburg, and
en- many other fields. who followed
Sherman to the sea or Grant through
the Wilderness, testified to the fact
that they were worthy descendants of
revolutionary slres, and that they were
capable of preserving the nation
handed down to them as a holy her
itage.
Sleep on, embalmed and honored
dead Long shall it be told in song
and story how you fought and how
you fell. Your old comrades who
survived you will soon join you on the
other shore. Year by year, as Memo
rial Day comes round, our numbers
grow less. The time is not far dis
tant when there will be only a few
old struggling veterans in the ranks.
Yes, 1t is not very far distant when
there will not be even one old stray
Cling veteran left. All shall have
passed away. When we are gone
shall Memorial Day be forgotten :?
Shall there be no one left to scatter
flowers on the graves of the nations
defenders? Let us trust that there
will; that away down in the great
heart of the nation is a fountain of
gratitude, and that while free govern.
ment lives for the benefit Of mankind,
Memorial Day will be fttingly OBJ
served.
To-day, as we stand beneath the
protecting influence of our constitu-
ton and laws, reunited people, we
can discuss with fairness, in a spirit of
kindness and cancellation, the duties
as citizens that devolve upon us.
Could | carry out my conception of
what Memorial Day should be, ]
would make of 1t an occasion devoted
to healing the wounds and bitterness
of the past. Toward those who at
one time arrayod themselves against
the Union, however wrong they might
have been, however causeless the
strife they brought on, let no unkind
word be sad. 1t should be borne in
mind that after all they were the
greatest sufferers. Their homes were
overrun and made desolate by the
tramp Of contending armies. Their
industries were destroyed, and desola-
ton sat down and supped with them.
1t should be finally borne in mind
that they are back in the old Union,
back once more on the old homestead,
not to be treated as intruders. but |
with every courtesy that freemen are
to. They fought long, hard,
and manfully, for cause they be-
lieved to be right. Their effort,
viewed from the soldiers standpoint,
was heroic in the extreme. When
they found their cause was lost, they
gave up manfullv, and set to work to
build up and reconstruct that which
they lost in the strife. They resumed |
their allegiance as citizens, and now,
acknowledging that it was better for
the nation that they should have lost,
they stand with us beneath the same
broad banner ready to defend it. We
at times hear adverse criticism made
relative to the large rebel delegation
in Congress from the Southern States.
1t simply means that the people of the
South are grateful to those who de-
Tended their cause. Gratitude is one
of the noblest traits in our nature. |
at times fear that we of the North
could borrow something in this direc-
ton from our Southern brethren. Let
us here to-day bury strife, bury all
let there be not only
peace, but genuine good will between
all sections of the country.
Perhaps on this occasion we may
be pardoned If we turn with exultant
pride to contemplate the work we &C
and the ease with which
the citizen soldier laid aside the habil
aments of war and returned to the
peaceful pursuits of life. Toward the
close of the great struggle it became
a serious question at the North as to
what would be done with all these
soldiers on their muster-out of the
service. "They are now completely
weaned away" said many, "from the
pursuits of peace. Will not the re.